Fursuiting as a permanent feature and practice within the fandom likely dates to the pre-convention era (1984-1989),[citation needed] when the first furry parties were being organized at both sci-fi conventions and home parties. By Confurence 0 in 1989 (the first hotel-based furry convention), a programming track called "Furry Costuming" was held at the hotel at which it took place.[citation needed]

Many have commented on the change which occurred in the growing fandom when graphic artists, many of whom were native to the funny animal fandom era,[clarify] shared more attention with costumers,[clarify] resulting in the artists' booths being overshadowed by the presence of costumers at conventions and furry parties[4]

This trend continues today, with the number of fursuiters growing exponentially every year at several furry conventions, even breaking established Guinness World Records.[5] Some conventions have included since the early 2000s the position of Fursuiter Guest of Honor.[6]

Fursuits range from simple tails and ears to full costumes with mechanical/electronic components. Similar to mascot suits, they allow the wearer to adopt another animal look and/or personality while in costume. Owners can spend less than one-hundred to many thousands of dollars on one fursuit,[citation needed] depending on the complexity of the design and on the materials used. These items are mainly sold online, with many makers owning sites dedicated to their suits. Suiting paraphernalia is often sold at "Furry Conventions." Furries may make their own using online tutorials and/or advice, or have hobbyist or professional fursuit maker or company assist them.

There are many types of fursuits. There are partials and fullsuits (along with several categories stemming from them. Suits that cover the whole body, or fullsuits, come with a head, a bodysuit, feetpaws, forepaws (hands), and a tail. There are three main types of fullsuits; the plantigrade, the digitgrade, and the unguligrade. Plantigrade gives a suit a more anthropomorphic look, adding no animalistic qualities to the legs. Digitgrade is used for canines, felines, birds, dinosaurs, and various other creatures. Unguligrade is used for hoofed animals such as horses or deer.
A partial suit or half-suit contains the above, only without the body. This allows the wearer to don ordinary clothing (or a different costume) overtop of the paws, head and tail. In partial suits, the tail is usually attached to a belt, and the arms and legs have sleeves that can go up as far as the shoulders and pelvis, respectively.
A third type known as the three-quarter suit has been developed, which consists of a head, arms and pants made to look like the legs, tail and feet of the animal in question, which works well for characters who only wear shirts.
There is also an uncommon suit type; the quadsuit. It uses the arms of its wearer as the animals forelegs, and the hind legs are often stilts.

Many people wear fursuits as a real life job. This can include mascots, though not all mascots are fursuits, nor are all mascot performers furries. Many fursuiters are hired through an agency to represent a character, while others bring their own constructions to an event instead. There are also several volunteer fursuiting groups across North America that either ask or are asked to entertain at various social functions. Some groups even set up their own charitable events or perform on the streets to passersby.

Other furries enjoy wearing their suits for parades, exhibitions, or conventions for simple personal fun or crowd entertainment. These fursuiters may also wear their suits to small, informal meetings among furry fans in their area.

Some may get permission to perform in or outside of a shop or event, while others may simply wear a suit in a major area, such as a mall. However, some cities have no-mask laws, so individuals seeking to wear their fursuit in large, public places should check first if it's allowed before performing at that location.

Some Role-players create highly elaborate costumes (including fursuits) for their characters. Half-suits are usually created for role-playing games, though some role-players use full-body suits. These suits wear elaborate clothes and costumes of their own, depending on the theme of the game.

A key part of playing a character in suit is an engaging performance. The most expensive fursuit in the world will not help someone who does not know how to use it. Looking good is important, but not as important as acting.

How the performer acts in costume reflects on how others relate to them. If the desired character is bouncy and bubbly, then acting that way is required to communicate it to spectators.

The design of the suit plays a part in some of the moves that can be done. For example, some fursuiters with floppy muzzles nod their heads up and down rapidly to simulate laughter or enjoyment. This cannot be done with suits with a rigid muzzle, or no muzzle at all.

Fursuiters typically do not speak in costume. This may be for a variety of reasons:

To preserve the anonymity or conceal the gender of the performer

The design of most suits muffles the voice of the performer

Most animals don't talk

It might cause an unwanted break of character

Because they just don't want to

Because of this, acting in suit is mostly about body language. A fursuiter may wiggle around excitedly, shiver in fear, stomp around in anger, or hand their head in sadness.

When a fursuiter does speak in costume, it is often just to their handler and/or close friends. Alternately, fursuiters may only speak in some limited fashion, either with a limited vocabulary, or simply using as few words as necessary.

Increasingly, more elaborate fursuits are being built with some form of talk-jaw, either physically (the fursuit's lower jaw being attached to the fursuiter's chin or pressed physically against by the fursuiter's lower jaw in some other holding fashion) or by the use of mechanical/electronic devices, which enables the fursuiter to "talk".

↑Critter Costuming, p13 - Robert King mentions inventing the term fursuit back in 1993 for the title of an amateur costumers' mailing list about the then-unnamed hobby while on the way back from a conference, in part as a pun on the word pursuit[citation needed]